Negative Portrayal
Ken Kesey's Negative Portrayal of WomenKen Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest portrays women in a very unflattering fashion. In the book, all the women except for the two prostitutes and the Japanese nurse, are depicted as threatening, terrifying, controlling, evil beings. Nurse Ratched, Chief Bromden's mother, and Billy Bibbit's mother are portrayed as women that cause men to suffer and lose their masculinity, whereas Candy and Sandy are portrayed as men's playthings. Women in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest are pretty much divided into two categories: the older ones, like Nurse Ratched and Billy's mother, who believe in suffering and shame, and McMurphy's friends, prostitutes who are representations of men's needs. McMurphy's friend Candy's name itself represents a man's sexual desires, while her personality consists of her being flattered when men flirt with her. To the men, she is just a play thing and a person to act out their sexual fantasies with. Before Candy and Sandy arrive at the hospital for their "date", the men talk about one of the other nurses, discussing "how it would be to lay
Nurse Ratched, is perhaps the most negatively depicted woman in the novel. The Japanese nurse was a great contrast to the other women in the novel, being understanding and actually wanting to help. She is a great contrast to Nurse Ratched, who only wants to control her patients and abuse her authority. Throughout the novel, the majority of the women are portrayed very negatively. " The inappropriate talk shows the little respect the men have for a woman with authority over them. Nurse Ratched took it one step further and also dressed the part to be seen as a more dominating woman and to hide her womanly curves. With the exception of the prostitutes, the women in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest are threatening and terrifying figures. Because of the positive portrayal of the Japanese nurse, the men in the novel can have hope that not all women are whores, and not all women are the controlling, power abusers. Because of her man-ish appearence, this made her terrifying to the patients. This is fits into Kesey's negative portrayal of women because the chief was a powerful man until his wife came along and threatend his masculinity and made him suffer. He was shaking his head in panic like a kid that's been promised a whipping just as soon as the willow is cut. When this novel was first written, women did not have the freedom that they have today. Nurse Ratched also played a huge part in taking away the patient's masculinity. In that time, if women wanted to be successful, they would have to adopt the attitudes of men to be respected and accepted in the work place. When Nurse Ratched threatens to tell Billy's mother about his sexual actions with Candy, you can see how his attitude quickly changes from being a proud male to a scared little boy: "We watched Billy folding into the floor, head going back, knees coming forward.
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Acceptance Essays
